A Long Way Down
by TaliaFox
Summary: In Avengers: Age of Ultron, there was a scene towards the end that caught my attention. Tony and Thor destroy the the hunk of land crashing toward Earth, and we all see Tony get away semi-safely, but the last we see of Thor is him crashing into the water unconscious. The next thing we know he's walking around like nothing happened. Not on my watch.


In Avengers: Age of Ultron, there was a scene towards the end that caught my attention. Tony and Thor destroy the the hunk of land crashing toward Earth, and we all see Tony get away semi-safely, but the last we see of Thor is him crashing into the water unconscious. The next thing we know he's walking around like nothing happened. I've been waiting to see if anyone else would write this, and I haven't seen it, so this is what happened in-between those two scenes.

Disclaimer: It's obviously not mine.

…

Thor swung his hammer round and round, willing himself to move faster as the large chunks of rocks collapsed around him. Small debris pounded down on his abused body as he fought to make it to safety.

Just a little bit longer. Hang on.

A slab of rock slammed into his lower leg, causing the Odinson to falter in his fight as the pulse of pain stabbed into him, becoming stronger with every second that passed.

Grunting, the thunder god pushed himself farther, not wanting to give up. He didn't come this far to-

His thoughts were interrupted as the largest chunk of boulder yet smashed into back, a piece of it stretching out and banging straight into the back of his head, the agony spreading throughout his whole body. The pain consumed him for only seconds, but that's all it took. Mjolnir slipped from his limp fingers and he fell the few feet into the water, the endless darkness begging to consume him as more of the city struck the serene water around him.

Peaceful, his mind murmured softly.

Fight, his heart urged.

Moving his arms became a struggle, and he silenced his heart as he welcomed the darkness.

…

Tony grit his teeth as his suit flashed warnings at the damage being given to it as the newly-destroyed city fell to pieces around him.

"C'mon, c'mon," he ground out as he sped in and out in an attempt to get to safety. "Just a little further."

Another chunk forced itself onto his shoulder, his flight interrupted for a moment before he righted himself. Tony jerked a few more careful dodges and came to the end of the large debris. Slowing down his repulsors, Tony hovered in the air as small clinks sounded off this armor and he surveyed the damage.

"Tony." Steve's voice crackled to life in his helmet.

"I'm here," Tony said, eyes continuing to scan as he shifted in the air.

Steve called his attention when he let out a sigh that was heavy, full of dread, and weighed down. "Quicksilver's down. Pietro's dead, Tony."

Cursing, Tony regained his balance mid-air when he lost concentration.

"Anyone else?" Tony almost didn't want to know.

"I've heard from everyone except you and Thor. Any injuries?"

Tony heaved out a breath. "I'm fine."

"Tony-"

"But I can't see Thor," the Iron Man interrupted, JARVIS continuing his scan of the area for any sign of the god of thunder.

Steve's voice changed in an instant, switching into Tony's coined 'leader voice'. "What do you mean by-"

"Last time I saw him, he slammed his magic hammer down and then the sky started to fall. I lost track of him. JARVIS is scanning now for-"

"Sir." JARVIS's voice resonated in his metal capsule.

"Where is he, JARVIS?"

A spinning, circular icon appeared on his faceplate as JARVIS explained his location.

Tony cursed again, shooting his repulsors so he was shot back into the fray of the falling wreckage.

"Tony, what's going on? Have you found Thor? I can't reach him on comms," Steve's tense voice appeared again.

"The water - he's in the water, and he's sinking, damnit."

Slamming himself into the water at full-speed, Tony willed his repulsors to go faster as his heart beat wildly. He told him to do this, to slam his damned heavy hammer to shatter the flying catastrophe. Thor was at the bottom, more likely to be hit by the rocks.

Tony knew Steve was waiting. For him to tell the Captain good news. And, bless him, he kept quiet. The last thing Tony needed right now was for someone to voice their impatience on top of his.

Pushing his worn suit to its limits, Tony moved towards the gently falling lump that took a human-like (or Asgardian-like) shape.

He reached forward, wrapping an arm around Thor's chest - and he still can't see his face. His other arm reached to take Thor's hammer before a sick sense of humor slapped him as he realized he wouldn't have been able to pick it up. He shot upwards, aiming towards the sky and air, as he held the thunder god and refused to let go, because Thor was far too limp for his liking.

Finally reaching the surface, Tony blasted to the nearest land, blocking the remaining small debris falling from hitting his motionless teammate.

"JARVIS," Tony demanded, the A.I. already scanning for injuries and a pulse.

Bruises, scrapes, cuts, a nasty bang on the back of his head, his back, and his leg. But Tony's heart skipped a beat when he realized there wasn't a pulse.

"Damnit! Steve, the medics on the helicarrier-"

"All busy helping the injured survivors, I've checked. There's no one to spare. I'm on the ground, where are you?"

"East side of the crater. I don't think he's breathing."

And if saying it aloud didn't make it real that his friend was dead.

"On my way," Steve's half-breathless voice rang as he began his run to his teammates.

He sat the fallen god on the ground, right in the middle of the crushed buildings and cracked streets. Stepping out of his suit, he crashed on his knees beside the god.

Shoving his Rapunzel-long hair out of the way, Tony slammed two fingers into the side of his neck. And again. And again. Again.

"No. No, you don't, Point Break. You'd better freaking breath, you hear me? Don't you give up."

Interlacing his fingers, Tony pushed repeatedly on Thor's still chest as he began compressions. He didn't know a thing about Asgardian physiology - something he was cursing at not pushing the thunder god into answering - but he figured this would work. At least he had something to do, something with his hands, something to keep his mind busy.

"You don't get to do this, Goldilocks. All right? You have to be there the next time I do something stupid. Who else will lift me up by the neck?"

Nothing. No reaction. The god simply jerked slightly every time Tony shoved his hands down.

"I'm not losing anyone else," Tony said, loud enough for only the earless god to hear as Steve came running from around a corner.

"Let me take over." Steve gently pushed Tony's hands aside the second his knees touched the asphalt.

Leaning back on his feet, Tony let out a shaky breath, realizing how tired he'd gotten from the compressions. How long had he been doing those? Was there any brain activity still? How long could Asgardians go without oxygen?

Tony refocused when Steve froze with his arms beginning to sag. One arm fell to his side as the other remained flat on Thor's chest.

"What are you doing?" Tony asked when he saw Thor still wasn't breathing. "We have to keep going."

Straightening back up onto his aching knees, Tony interlocked his hands and placed them on the still chest when a hand covered his own. Eyes darting upward, Tony met Steve's orbs, which looked like they were just a little more broken.

"Tony."

The one word said it all.

The inventor flashed back to what the Scarlet Witch had done to them the first time they'd met, when he saw all his teammates and friends dead.

"No." It was a defeated word, reflected in Steve's face. Tony shook his head, slamming a clenched fist on Thor's chest. "No." It grew into a stronger resonance. "No!" Slamming his fist twice more on the thunder god's chest to expel his upcoming anger and-

A loud gasp echoed around them, both of their attentions dragged to the choking man under them.

"Roll him on his side," Steve demanded, already acting on instinct.

When they shifted Thor onto his back once the water was expelled, Tony clasped his shoulder, drawing the notice of the god.

"Damn you."

…

"The rules have changed."

"We're dealing with something new."

"Well, the Vision's artificial intelligence."

"A machine."

"So it doesn't count."

"No. It's not like a person lifting the hammer."

"Right. Different rules for us."

"Nice guy, but artificial."

"Thank you," Steve told Tony.

"If he can wield the hammer, he can keep the Mind Stone. It's safe with the Vision. And these days, safe is in short supply."

"But if you put the hammer in an elevator," Steve cocked his head as the trio walked.

"It would still go up," Tony caught on.

"Elevator's not worthy."

Thor chuckled. "I'm going to miss these little talks of ours."

"Well, not if you don't leave."

Thor sighed, turning to face the duo as they reached the outside. "I have no choice. The Mind Stone is the fourth of the Infinity Stones to show up in the last few years. That's not a coincidence. Someone has been playing an intricate game and has made pawns of us. But once all these pieces are in position…"

"Triple Yahtzee?" Tony guessed.

"You think you can find out what's coming?" Steve asked.

"I do. Besides this one, there's nothing that can't be explained."

With a final smile, the god of thunder shoved his hammer up in the air and was swept away.

"That man has no regard for lawn maintenance."

…

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